Last of the Curlews
Encyclopedia
Last of the Curlews is a novel, a fictionalized account of the life of the last Eskimo Curlew
. It was written by Fred Bodsworth
, a Canadian
newspaper reporter and naturalist, and published in 1954
.
and return to the Canadian Arctic in search of a mate. Although somewhat anthropomorphic
in parts, the book paints a realistic and detailed picture of this bird's life and behaviour.
The book may have been somewhat premature in that there were confirmed sightings of this bird in 1963 and there were a number of unconfirmed sightings after that date. However, this bird may now be extinct.
, who became famous as the Artemus Gordon character in the original version of The Wild Wild West
. This film was first shown in October 1972
as the very first ABC Afterschool Special
. It was given an Emmy
for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming in 1973
.
edition (ISBN 1-887178-25-2) includes a foreword
by the Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and an afterword
by the Nobel Laureate physicist
Murray Gell-Mann
.
Eskimo Curlew
The Eskimo or the "Northern Curlew" is a critically endangered shorebird, now considered by many to be extinct.-Taxonomy:The Eskimo Curlew is one of eight species of curlew, and is classed with them in the genus Numenius. It was formerly placed in the separate genus Mesoscolopax. Numenius is...
. It was written by Fred Bodsworth
Fred Bodsworth
Charles Frederick Fred Bodsworth is a Canadian writer, journalist and amateur naturalist.Born in Port Burwell, Ontario, Bodsworth worked as a journalist for the St. Thomas Times-Journal, The Toronto Star, and Maclean's, where he also served as assistant editor. From 1964 to 1967, he was president...
, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
newspaper reporter and naturalist, and published in 1954
1954 in literature
The year 1954 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Jack Kerouac reads Dwight Goddard's A Buddhist Bible, which will influence him greatly.*John Updike graduates from Harvard with a thesis on George Herbert....
.
Plot introduction
The story follows the bird throughout a year during its migration to South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and return to the Canadian Arctic in search of a mate. Although somewhat anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
in parts, the book paints a realistic and detailed picture of this bird's life and behaviour.
The book may have been somewhat premature in that there were confirmed sightings of this bird in 1963 and there were a number of unconfirmed sightings after that date. However, this bird may now be extinct.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
The book was made into an animated film by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The English original version was narrated by Ross MartinRoss Martin
Ross Martin was a Polish-born American Emmy-nominated actor known for playing Artemus Gordon in the western TV series The Wild Wild West, starring Robert Conrad, and Andamo on Mr...
, who became famous as the Artemus Gordon character in the original version of The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
. This film was first shown in October 1972
1972 in television
The year 1972 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1972.For the American TV schedule, see: 1972-73 American network television schedule.-Events:...
as the very first ABC Afterschool Special
ABC Afterschool Special
The ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were...
. It was given an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming in 1973
1973 in television
The year 1973 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1973.-Events:*January 4 – The record breaking, long-running comedy series in the UK and the world "Last of the Summer Wine" starts as a 30-minute pilot on BBC1's Comedy Playhouse show....
.
Editions
The 19881998 in literature
The year 1998 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 5 - Tennessee Williams' 1938 play, Not About Nightingales, receives its stage première....
edition (ISBN 1-887178-25-2) includes a foreword
Foreword
A foreword is a piece of writing sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between the writer of the foreword and the book's primary author or the story the book tells...
by the Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and an afterword
Afterword
An afterword is a literary device that is often found at the end of a piece of literature. It generally covers the story of how the book came into being, or of how the idea for the book was developed....
by the Nobel Laureate physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann
Murray Gell-Mann is an American physicist and linguist who received the 1969 Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the theory of elementary particles...
.